Saturday, July 6, 2013

Review: Multicultural Student Services on Campus (2011)

Multicultural Student Services on Campus (2011), edited by Dafina Lazarus Stewart, is a comprehensive resource for graduate students and new professionals in multicultural student services in higher education. It explores contemporary issues of multicultural student services and its historical development. It focuses on the three most common aspects of multicultural student services in higher education: race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, and religious/spiritual identity. It examines how institutional context (liberal arts colleges, public universities, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions) influences the design and practice of multicutural student services. Lastly, it discusses ways in which practitioners in other units and divisions within colleges and universities can collaborate and advocate for stronger multicultural student services.

Published by ACPA: College Student Educators International, this book is an important reference for student affairs professionals who need to understand the history, breadth, depth, and future of multicultural student services. Senior-level administrators, who have a desire to make socially-responsible decisions that transform college campuses into democratic and multicultural communities, should also consider this reference as a starting point for ideas and solutions. Since I study diversity and social justice in higher education, this book has become an invaluable resource for enhancing my awareness and knowledge of pertinent issues in multicultural affairs. Dafina Lazarus Stewart is an associate professor of higher education and student affairs at Bowling Green State University.

The book is divided into four sections with 19 chapters:
  1. History and Evolution of Multicultural Student Services
  2. Multicultural Student Services Affirming and Integrating Diversity
  3. Diverse Contexts, Similar Goals (Academic and Student Affairs)
  4. Building Bridges (Collaborations and Multicultural Competence)



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